Kylian Mbappe is expected to miss the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff with Benfica after succumbing to a knee injury in training. Los Blancos host the Portuguese giants at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, with Alvaro Arbeloa’s men leading 1-0 from the first leg in Lisbon.
Mbappe left Madrid training with injury
According to L’Equipe, Mbappe had to leave Madrid’s training session on Tuesday with a knee issue, experiencing persistent pain in his left leg. He then underwent some tests in the afternoon, and results came back hours later that it would be ‘impossible’ for the forward to feature against Benfica.
Arbeloa could be forced into U-turn
At his press conference earlier on Tuesday, Madrid boss Arbeloa claimed Mbappe would be fit to play, having battled through the issue in recent weeks.
He said: “Kylian is ready to play tomorrow, which… at this point, that’s the most important thing. Of course, he’s been here for several weeks and… and everyone knows that, well… above all, and what I wanted to emphasize is the commitment he’s showing. With his team-mates, with his team, with his coach, with the club, with his fans. I think it’s very important to highlight the huge effort Kylian is making that he’s trying to help us on the field.
“He’s a game-changer. I think any defender, when they face him, knows that he can decide a match with any action. And… and well… he’s ready for tomorrow, we’re sure to need him, and he’ll have a great game.”
Benfica arrive amid Prestianni racism storm
The first leg of this tie was overshadowed by Vinicius Junior’s claim that he was racially abused by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni after scoring the only goal of the game. Prestianni, who has been provisionally suspended for one Champions League match, has denied the accusation, insisting he actually hurled a homophobic slur at Vinicius instead, after being called a ‘dwarf’ by the Brazilian. That defense is expected to be dismissed and a lengthier ban could be implemented.
Arbeloa and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois both discussed the incident on Tuesday. Arbeloa said: “We have a great opportunity to mark a turning point in the fight against racism. UEFA, which has always been a champion of this fight against racism, has the opportunity to do more than just leave it as a slogan, or a nice banner before matches. And let’s hope — or rather, I hope — that they seize this opportunity.
“As we’ve said, as I’ve said… on playing at a high level, putting on a great performance. On doing things right on the pitch and delivering a great performance so we can win the game. That’s what we’re most focused on. That’s where we’re putting all our energy and effort. And that’s what we want to see tomorrow. The rest, obviously, isn’t our concern. Or at least, it’s not up to us to make those kinds of decisions. That has to be UEFA’s.”
Courtois added: “With everything that has happened, there are many things that haven’t been done well. I think that racism, homophobia – all of these things – we simply cannot accept them and the insult is equally serious. Vini didn’t do anything wrong. He celebrated the way many opponents have celebrated against us too. In the end we need to move on and leave it at that. We can’t justify an alleged act of racism with a celebration.”
What comes next?
Madrid’s second leg against Benfica kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The winner of the tie will face either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16.
